The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In various applications, it may be desirable to track a star, planet, or other object as it moves across the sky during the course of a day. For example, solar light or radiation may be collected by directing one or more solar panels at the sun. While some solar panels are maintained as stationary objects, others may be configured to track the sun as it moves across the sky, so as to increase the quantity of sunlight or solar radiation collected. Traditional solar tracking mechanisms may operate with one or more axes of movement. Multiple axes of movement may, in some cases, be more efficient than a single axis of movement by allowing for more precise positioning. In some cases, solar panels may be moved on circular or rotational tracks in order to follow the sun's movement across the sky throughout a day. For example, some solar tracking mechanisms may operate with an altazimuth, or altitude/azimuth, motion system. An altazimuth motion system may provide for rotation about a vertical axis, such as a load bearing mast, and separate rotation about a horizontal axis.
Various methods and systems may be used to calculate a location of an object in the sky, such as the sun, at which to direct a device on the earth, such as a solar panel. Often, such systems and methods may be individually designed to operate at a particular location on the earth's surface. In some cases, for example, a system for tracking the sun's movement that is developed for use in the earth's Northern Hemisphere may not function as accurately in the Southern Hemisphere. In some embodiments, tracking mechanisms such as solar tracking mechanisms may track based on polar coordinates, or may use both latitudinal and longitudinal axes, for example. Moreover, some conventional tracking systems may use high cost motors such as digital servo motors to generate motion.